Gas Task Force to be set up
PORT SPAIN
Trinidad &Tobago Newsday
Petroleumworldtt.com
17 10 08
ENERGY Minister Conrad Enill yesterday promised a task force to promote the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) by motorists, as he spoke in the Excise Duty (Compressed Natural Gas) Order 2008 yesterday in the Senate.
The task force, he said, would formulate incentives for motorists to switch to CNG, new regulations, safety measures and public education. They would also work with the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) to develop training programmes in CNG conversion and maintenance technology , thereby fulfilling an existing shortfall in such expertise.
Enill said the National Gas Company and National Petroleum would be mandated to convert most existing gasoline stations to also serve CNG, expand existing CNG suppliers, and build new dedicated CNG stations.
“By 2010, we would expect that two new dedicated stations would be built and be in operation. All the stations currently existing will be upgraded to fast-fill,” Enill said. He added the current stations which are to be upgraded to fast-fill would be able to deliver 10,000 equivalent litres of CNG per day, while the new dedicated CNG stations would be able to deliver 20,000 equivalent litres daily.
“By 2010 the operational capacity for delivery will be equivalent to eight dual-fill stations, at 10,000 litres capacity and two dedicated stations at 20,000 capacity. By 2015 the target is to have 25 percent of road transportation fuels replaced with CNG (which) can be achieved by building ten large-capacity dedicated stations and 40 dual-fuel stations.”
UNC Senator Mohammed Faisal Rahman urged the Government to follow the example of China and use liquified natural gas (LNG) instead of CNG. He claimed a tankful of LNG gave cars a greater range than a tank of CNG. Moreso he said that CNG needs a special tank to cool it, unlike LNG which requires a simpler tank.
“There is a whole complete CNG programme that needs to be thought out before we can move to CNG.”
He hit the Government for giving motorists a single incentive to convert their cars to CNG — the threat of removal of the Government's hefty subsidy of gasoline.
Story by Sean Douglas
from Trinidad & Tobago Newsday
Trinidad & Tobago Newsday
Friday, November 14 2008
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